ST. LOUIS, MO -- Intercard and Pinnacle Entertainment have announced an agreement under which they will enhance their services to the arcade and family entertainment center market by providing the clients of both firms with a one-stop source for cashless technology and arcade consulting services.

The two companies have worked together informally since 1990, when Pinnacle president George McAuliffe was operations vice-president for Edison Brothers Entertainment here. Edison Brothers ran 135 arcades, including facilities in Dave & Buster’s locations. McAuliffe accepted an invitation from Intercard founder Ray Sherrod to test the new Intercard system at Edison’s arcades.

“We had already been exposed to the concept of play cards, and I saw the potential in it,” McAuliffe recalled. “We bought our first Intercard system in 1998. and we’ve been very friendly with [Ray’s son] Scott over the years. We’re fortunate to come together in this business.”

Intercard chief executive Scott Sherrod added: “Intercard’s strength is our technology, and Pinnacle’s strength is its knowledge of operating family entertainment centers and using our technology. That, and our combined decades of experience in the industry, adds a tremendous amount of value for our mutual customers.

Pinnacle Entertainment Group provides consulting services for the family entertainment center industry, assisting with budgeting, design, layout, game and attraction mix, marketing and operations.

Founded in 1979, Intercard is a market leader in cashless technology for the amusement and attraction industries, with hundreds of systems, thousands of readers and millions of cards in use at more than 4,000 locations around the globe.

MEETING OF THE MINDS: Meeting in the Intercard exhibit at recent Amusement Expo to discuss the value to clients of one-stop sourcing are (from left) George McAuliffe, Pinnacle Entertainment; Scott Sherrod, Intercard; and Pinnacle's Howard McAuliffe.